Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) celebrated the inaugural voyage of the OOCL Vancouver, the newest addition to the OOCL container fleet. The occasion coincided with the OOCL Vancouver’s first North American port of call on her maiden voyage on the new Pacific North Express (PNX) service.
The OOCL Vancouver, one of eight new 5,888-TEU capacity S-class vessels deployed to service the growing Trans-Pacific trade, was docked at Canada Place pier for the official ceremony on Tuesday, March 7, 2006, following loading at the Deltaport terminal.
“For over 30 years, OOCL has been operating in Vancouver servicing clients on both sides of the Pacific,” said Peter Leng, OOCL’s President for North America. “Our new Trans-Pacific express service reinforces our continued commitment to the Vancouver gateway and also the importance of the Port of Vancouver to Asia-Pacific trade.”
The Pacific North Express (PNX) service was created in response to the increasing growth of container business between Asia and the North American market. The express route, covered by OOCL and other member lines of the Grand Alliance, is a 42-day round-trip, including stops in Singapore, Laem Chabang, Shekou, Hong Kong, Kaoshiung, Vancouver, Seattle and Pusan.
“The new express service, combined with the new ships, will provide an improved transit time to serve Canada. This will also strengthen Vancouver’s position as a gateway for US Midwest cargo – a key priority for our customers around the world,” added Leng.
OOCL has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with the Port of Vancouver. Our sister company Terminal Systems Inc. (TSI), operates the Vanterm and Deltaport terminals on long-term leases with the Vancouver Port Authority, and is the largest terminal employer in the Port of Vancouver.
Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hong Kong Stock Exchange-listed Orient Overseas (International) Ltd. Headquartered in Hong Kong, OOCL is one of the world's leading container transport and logistics service providers, with more than 230 offices in 58 countries, employing over 5,900 staff globally: 4,950 shore staff and 950 sea staff. Linking Asia, Europe, North America, the Mediterranean, the Indian sub-continent, the Middle East and Australia/New Zealand, the company offers transportation services to all major east/west trading economies of the world. OOCL is one of the leading international carriers serving China, providing a full range of logistics and transportation services throughout the country. It is also an industry leader in the use of information technology and e-commerce to manage the entire cargo process. Website: www.oocl.com.
